System and method for fueling alternative fuel vehicles

Abstract

Disclosed is an alternative fuel fueling station useful for fueling both electrical and hydrogen alternative fuel vehicles simultaneously. The alternative fuel fueling station includes a solid oxide fuel cell, an electrical conduit, and a compressed hydrogen conduit, such that the alternative fuel fueling station can fuel both the electrical and hydrogen alternative fuel vehicles simultaneously.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of using an alternative fuel fueling station to fuel an alternative fuel vehicle having an alternative fuel storage device, the method of using the alternative fuel fueling station comprising:
 introducing steam and a hydrocarbon fuel separately to a solid oxide fuel cell (“SOFC”) system of the alternative fuel fueling station; 
 operating the SOFC system such that the alternative fuel is produced; 
 coupling an alternative fuel vehicle to the alternative fuel fueling station such that a conduit forms between the SOFC system and the alternative fuel storage device; 
 introducing the alternative fuel to the alternative fuel vehicle such that a storage capacity of the alternative fuel storage device is not exceeded; and 
 decoupling the alternative fuel vehicle from the alternative fuel fueling station; 
 where the alternative fuel fueling station includes
 the SOFC system, the SOFC system comprising a solid oxide fuel cell; 
 an electrical conduit that is operable to both electrically couple an alternative fuel storage device of an electrical alternative fuel vehicle to the solid oxide fuel cell of the SOFC system and convey electrical current produced by the SOFC system to an electrical alternative fuel vehicle; and 
 a compressed hydrogen conduit that is operable to fluidly couple an alternative fuel storage device of a hydrogen alternative fuel vehicle to a hydrogen compression and storage system of the SOFC system and to convey compressed hydrogen having a pressure in a range of from about 350 bars to about 700 bars and having a hydrogen mole purity of 99.99 percent to the hydrogen alternative fuel vehicle; 
 where the SOFC system includes a hydrodesulfurization system that fluidly couples to the hydrogen compression and storage system and is operable to receive a hydrocarbon fuel; 
 a steam reformer having catalytic reactor tubes and a reformer combustion chamber, where the catalytic reactor tubes couple to the hydrodesulfurization system and are operable to receive steam, and where the reformer combustion chamber thermally couples to the catalytic reactor tubes and fluidly couples to both an outlet of an anode side of the solid oxide fuel cell and an oxygen generation system and is operable to receive the hydrocarbon fuel, the anode side operable to receive a methane-rich anode feed gas without a reformer, the methane-rich anode feed gas comprising a pre-reformer syngas product and an off-gas stream from a hydrogen purification system, where the off-gas stream comprises methane, carbon oxides, and inert gases, where the methane-rich anode feed gas comprises methane, carbon oxides, hydrogen, and water, and the anode side further operable to reform, by a reforming catalyst in the solid oxide fuel cell, and electrochemically convert methane and water contained in the methane-rich anode feed gas into hydrogen and carbon oxides to generate electrical power; 
 where the hydrogen purification system fluidly couples to the catalytic reactor tubes and is operable to produce a purified hydrogen gas; 
 where the hydrogen compression and storage system is fluidly coupled to the hydrogen purification system and is operable to produce the compressed hydrogen; 
 a pre-reformer that fluidly couples to the outlet of the anode side of the solid oxide fuel cell and is operable to receive the hydrocarbon fuel and to produce the pre-reformer syngas product; 
 where the anode side of the solid oxide fuel cell has an inlet that fluidly couples to both the pre-reformer and the hydrogen purification system and is operable to produce an anode exhaust gas. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , where the method comprises the step of introducing water to the SOFC system of the alternative fuel fueling station. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , where the alternative fuel is compressed hydrogen product and the alternative fuel vehicle is a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , where the alternative fuel is electrical power and the alternative fuel vehicle is electrical vehicle. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , where the hydrocarbon fuel is selected from the group consisting of: naphtha, kerosene and combinations thereof. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising an oxygen generation system that is operable to produce oxygen. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , further comprising a CO2 purification and liquidification system that fluidly couples to the reformer combustion chamber and is operable to produce a refined carbon dioxide product.